So on one side we have a lot of people saying stuff that boils down to “those people are animals and that’s why they can’t have nice things.” This attitude ignores the realities on the ground: no jobs, no economic development (because after all who would open a factory there?); a minimum wage that won’t get […]

Ok, so by now everyone knows that this year’s flu vaccine isn’t quite as effective as would be desirable. By the way, that’s because the flu virus changes (read: evolves!) quickly. There’s still a few things you can do to reduce your chance of getting the flu. One of the biggest things is almost free and […]

Back in September I did a little item on a few TV shows. I thought it would be a good idea to follow up. Madam Secretary: Sorry, stopped watching after the first episode. It’s opposite Brooklyn 99, which is actually entertaining. Gotham: Still watching, still loving it. They’ve backed off on Jim Gordon’s partner, who is […]

Ok, good for the NFL deciding that beating the **** out of your wife or girlfriend is a bad thing. But in the interest of fairness, why not suspend any player facing felony charges until everything is settled in the courts? After all, Joe Average would probably lose their job (mostly because of the […]

Turns out chemistry isn’t as hard as I feared. In Closing: voice actors; only when it comes to spending that helps normal people; anybody have any idea why our government cares about ISIS/ISIL more than Boko Haram? (Is it just oil? Could there be a faint whiff of racism?); money money money money; I bet […]

It’s not new, but I can’t listed to the song now without seeing this…. And here’s a bonus cat for you, only 35 seconds long: In Closing: Looks like this judge found a way to ‘splain it; high speed rail coming to Texas; on poverty, wages, debt, and getting by; LEGO scientists; on Congress; a […]

Last week I introduced everybody to minimalism. Sure, there are “serious” composers doing minimalism, but I think that the dance music community has done a far better job with the genre. Notice the small selection of notes used and the repetition of slightly-changed thematic material. Oh yeah, and it doesn’t go on for a half […]

This post may seem a little dry, but bear with me. Let’s start with a basic premise: There are millions of square feet of retail, office, and light industrial space in this nation, and it all requires cleaning on a regular basis. I think everybody sane should be able to agree on this point. For […]

In his book, Jimmy Webb tells us that the very best popular songs are actually complete plays in 3 to 5 minutes. We will be exploring that idea for a while on Music Monday, but let’s start with the Master himself…. In Closing: I seem to recall Jesus saying something about how the poor […]

On Education: Children living in poverty are everywhere, and standardized tests are not ready for them. For pity sake, we’re wasting time teaching kids who are still figuring out how to hold a pencil how to fill in little bubbles on scantrons. All hail the holy power of earning a completion certificate degree. On Spying […]

While the ShortWoman is a smart lady with multiple degrees, she has no securities license whatsoever. Anybody who makes investment decisions based on what they read here without doing their own research gets what they deserve. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. While she was at one time a Nevada real estate licensee, she freely admits that owning a home or other real property isn't for everybody; please consider your own situation and needs in addition to the market if you've got "house fever."

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